BEAVER COUNTY, Utah, Sept. 3, 2025 (Gephardt Daily) — A man in a stolen SUV, who led Utah Highway Patrol troopers and Beaver County Sheriff deputies on a pursuit of about 60 miles on Tuesday, was awaiting prosecution in a vehicle theft trial in California and was wearing a court-ordered ankle monitor, his Utah arrest documents say.
Adarian Deantae Murrell, 25, “has multiple charges in his criminal history of grand theft auto and unauthorized use of motor vehicle,” says his arrest document, filed by a Utah Highway Patrol trooper.
“The subject was located and stopped in a reported stolen vehicle. The subject is likely to repeat the offense and steal another motor vehicle to flee the jurisdiction,” the trooper wrote, in recommending Murrell be held without bail.
The trooper was working patrol near 600 S. Main St., in Beaver, when he noticed a black Lexus SUV “pass my location traveling northbound at a high rate of speed. The speed limit in the area is 30 mph and I estimated the subject’s speed to be 50 mph.”
The trooper attempted a traffic stop. The Lexus turned left and appeared to be pulling to the shoulder of the road to stop.
“The vehicle then turned around and began traveling back toward main street … I followed the vehicle with my lights and siren still activated in an attempt to get it stopped. The vehicle then aggressively accelerated northbound on main street and fled the scene of the traffic stop. I immediately followed with my emergency equipment still activated.”
The vehicle was traveling at an estimated 70 mph in a 40 mph area, the arrest document says. As it made its way to the north interchange of I-15, the driver was observed “displaying disregard for the safety of the persons who were in the area,” the court document said.
The SUV began traveling north on I-15 at a speed of more than 120 mph, the trooper’s account says. They left the interstate at exit 120, then reentered I-15, driving north in a southbound lane, “causing substantial risk of bodily injury or death to others that were traveling southbound in the southbound lanes.”
As the SUV approached the I-70 junction, it crossed the median into the northbound lanes, and continued traveling north at an estimated speed of more than 100 mph, the arrest document says.
The SUV exited at 135 north, and the trooper lost visual contact with the vehicle.
“Beaver County deputies indicated that the vehicle was located once again going southbound in the southbound lanes near milepost 129. They initiated a pursuit with the vehicle, which fled and continued south.
“In the area of milepost 107, the suspect vehicle again entered the median area of the freeway, crossed into oncoming traffic, and continued traveling southbound in the northbound lanes,” the trooper’s account says.
Photo: Utah Highway Patrol
“In the area of milepost 102, the suspect vehicle was stopped by ramming a patrol vehicle head on while still traveling southbound on the northbound side. Once the suspect vehicle was stopped, it was discovered that the license plate that was displayed did not belong to the vehicle.
“Upon further investigation, the vehicle was listed as being stolen from the southern California area on 08/30/2025. While getting the suspect into custody and doing an inventory of the vehicle, drug paraphernalia and marijuana were located throughout the vehicle.”
The trooper’s report noted that the subject failed to stop for multiple law enforcement officers. The suspect vehicle had to be crashed in order to get him to stop. The suspect fled approximately 60 miles and drove the wrong way on I-15 for approximately 25 miles of that fleeing. The subject displayed an “obvious disregard for public safety.”
Murrell was booked into jail and ordered held without bail. He is being held for investigation of alleged:
- Receive or transfer stolen vehicle, road rage, a second-degree felony
- Two counts of aggravated assault, a third-degree felony
- Two counts of failure to respond to officer’s signal to stop, a third-degree felony
- Reckless driving, a class B misdemeanor
- Possession of controlled substance, marijuana/spice, a class B misdemeanor
- Use or possession of drug paraphernalia, a class B misdemeanor
- Using plates registered to another vehicle, a class C misdemeanor
- Infractions: speeding, drive on wrong side of roadway, cross divider or barrier median, limited access highways entering/exiting
